Prelift device for hangar doors



Nov. 5, 1 v D. H. MORGAN PRELIFT DEVICE FDR HANGAR DOORS- Filed March 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 5, 1940. M GAN 2,220,656

PRELIFT DEVICE FOR HANGAR DOORS Filed March 15, 1959 2 Sheet s-Sh ee t 2 I organ Patented Nov. 5, 1940 PATENT OFFICE 2,220,656 PRELIFI DEVICE FOR HANGAB DOORS David H. Morgan, Youngstown, Ohio,

Truscon Steel Company, Youngstown, corporation of Michigan assignmto Ohio, a

Application March 13, 1989, Serial No. 261,596

Claims.

This invention relates to closure constructions for doorways, and more particularly to improved means for mounting a canopy door so that its lower edge may be readily moved free and clear of any normal obstruction outwardly of the sill prior to effecting swinging movement. I

Doors of the canopy type are usually mounted to swing or turn as they move upwardly in suitable guides, the upper end swinging inwardly and the lower end moving outwardly so that when the door is in a fully raised position the otherwise lower half of the door projects outwardly a sumcient distance to provide a temporary roof or canopy for shielding the doorway. It frequently happens that the sill itself, or some obstruction may be placed, accidentally or otherwise, in the path of normal outward swinging movement of the lower edge of the door as it leaves the sill, for example, snow or ice may accumulate at the outer side of the door, that is, at the outer side of the threshold and if the door is merely mounted so that its swinging movement begins before its upward movement, it is quite apparent that difliculty is often encountered in raising the door.

Accordingly, with a view to remedying this objection the present invention has primarily in view novel means for mounting or hanging the door for swinging movement while at the same time providing means whereby the door is preliminarily lifted vertically before any turning or swinging movement starts, thereby enabling the lower edge of the door'to be moved above the sill line a sufficient distance to clear any moderate obstacle or obstruction before it begins to turn. In other words, it is proposed to provide means for preliminarily lifting the door in a vertical direction prior to starting its swinging movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple, practical, and substantial means for fully supporting the door in all positions of use, and at the same time, effecting the desired prelifting prior to swinging or tilting.

A further and special object is to provide hanger arms cooperating in a novel way with elements carried by the door for effecting initial sliding movement between the door and the arms, and which arms and elements are so interlocked or braced against turning movement that as the door continues to move and swing, stability and steadiness are in no way sacrificed during manipulation.

' With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is an elevation of a door constructionv embodying the present improvements.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view showing one of the hanger arms and its cooperating door plate in elevation, and in the position where the door has completed its preliminary 5 lifting movement.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

According to the arrangement of the invention 20 shown in the drawings, the same includes in its organization a door designated generally as A, of any suitable design or construction, intended to serve as a closure having a doorway designated generally as B and including a lintel or head portion C and a sill S having a shoulder S inwardly of the sill or threshold.

The vertical height of the door A is preferably slightly greater than the vertical height of the door opening B and the width of the door is such that the lower half may swing outwardly, suitable weathering being provided at the sides of the door to maintain a weather-proof joint when the door is in its closed position.

The door is mounted on suitable hanger means, preferably in the form of arms or links arranged adjacent opposite side edges thereof, said arms or links being designated generallyas I. The upper ends of the arms are pivotally mounted, as indicated at 2, to suitable brackets 3 carried by the upper portion or lintel C of the doorway, said brackets, as will later appear, in some instances being a part of sheave supports or brackets. The lower ends of the arms i cooperate with suitable means on the door to control opening and closing movements of the door. Said means, .in the arrangement shown, comview taken on 10 prises plates 5 one related to each arm and each including a flange 6, fastened to the door as indicated at I, and a vertically disposed leaf 8 extending inwardly from the door perpendicularly thereto. In the leaf 8 of each plate are upper and lower slots 9 and I0, respectively. Each upper slot 9 is disposed vertically parallel to the door. On the other hand, each lower slot l0 may have its upper portion disposed either-parallel to the door or at a slight downward and inward inclination thereto as shown. In either case, the lower end or mouth portion of each slot I is inclined downwardly and inwardly relative to its upper end portion.

Each arm I is provided with a cross pin, II disposed in the slot 9 of the related leaf 8 and, below said cross pin, with a roller I3 for cooperation with the slot I0 and with the inner or free edge of the related leaf 8. Each arm I is disposed at one side of its related leaf 8, while on each cross pin II and disposed at the opposite side of the related leaf 8 is a head or washer I2, whereby an operative relationship is maintained between each arm I and its related leaf 8. The inner or free edge of each leaf 8 is concentric to the center of the lower, rounded end of the slot 9 in said leaf.

As will be observed from Figure 1, the door is provided intermediate its upper and lower ends with suitable laterally extending trunnions I4 disposed below the plates 5. Each trunnion carries a roller I operating in a suitable vertical guide I6, one at each side of the doorway. Each trunnion is also provided with a strap I1 carrying an eye I8 for receiving one end of a flexible cable I9 in the case of one of the trunnions and I9 in the case of the other. These cables respectively pass over sheaves 20 and 2| mounted at the upper portion or lintel of the doorway in suitable brackets which, as previously indicated, also carry the brackets 3 in which the pivots 2 of the arms I are supported. After passing over the sheaves 20 and 2|, the cables I9 and II! are connected with a suitable counterweight 22 operating in a counterweight guide box 23 arranged at one side of the doorway.

The rollers I5 cooperate with the vertical guides I6 to guide the door for vertical opening and closing movements and to hold the door against swinging bodily inwardly or outwardly relative to the doorway. At the same time, said rollers I5 cooperate with the guides I6 to mount the door for upward and outward swinging movement of its bottom portion and for downward and inward swinging movement of its top portion when the door is not restrained against such swinging movement by the cooperation of the arms I and their cross pins and rollers with the slots 9 and I0 and of the plates 5.

When the door is in its lowered or closed position the cross pins II and the rollers I3 are disposed in upper portions of the slots 9 and I0, respectively. The cross pins and the rollers I3 are vertically spaced apart. Consequently, when the door is in its lower or closed position and the cross pins II and the rollers I 3 are disposed in the slots 9 and I0, respectively, the arms I and their cross pins and rollers cooperate with the plates 5 and the slots therein to provide locks preventing any swinging movement of the door about its trunnions I4. As aforesaid, the rollers I5 cooperate with the guides I6 to prevent the door from swinging bodily inwardly or outwardly. Therefore, when the door is in its lower or closed position it is held eifectivelyagainst any swinging movement. Any suitable means such as the latch means illustrated in Fig. 1 and designated generally as L may be provided to fasten the door against upward movement from its closed position.

Opening of the door may be effected either manually or by any suitable power means. In either case, opening of the door is efiected by subjecting the same to a lifting force. In this connection, if the upper end portions of the slots III are parallel to the door, initial upward movement of the door necessarily will be truly vertically. If, on the other hand, the upper end portions of the slots I0 are slightly inclined downwardly and inwardly relative to the door. initial raising of the door will result in a slight amount of upward and outward swinging movement of its bottom portion and a slight amount of downward and inward swinging movement of its top Portion about the trunnions I4 due to the arms I being pivoted at their upper ends and to the cooperation of the cross pins II and the rollers I3 with the slots9 and I0 respectively. Preferably the upper end portions of the slots II) are slightly inclined downwardly and inwardly relative to the door so that initial lifting of the door initiates swinging movement of the same toward its horizontally or substantially horizontally disposed, raised or open position. In any event, initial opening movement of the door necessarily is either truly or substantially vertically, the amount of such movement depending, of course, upon the length of the slots I0.

As the door is lifted the plates 5 are, of course, lifted therewith relative to the arms I and as the downwardly and inwardly inclined lower or mouth portions of the slots l0 cooperate with the rollers I3 upward and outward swinging movement of the bottom portion of the door and downward and inward swinging movement of the top portion of the door is caused more or less suddenly to. occur depending upon the amount of inclination of the bottom or mouth portions of the slots l0 relative to the upper portions thereof. Continued upward movement of the door results in the lower edges of the leaves 8 of the plates 5 moving above the rollers I 3, or, stated another way, in the rollers I3 moving through the mouths of the slots-I0 to positions below the lower edges of the leaves 8. This occurs just as the bottoms of the slots 9 reach the cross pins II. Upward and outward and downward and inward swinging movements of the top and bottom portions of the door already having been initiated, continued lifting effort exerted upon the door results in inward and upward swinging movement of the arms I about their pivots 2 and in the rollers I3 riding along the peripheries of the curved free edges of the leaves 8, thereby steadying the door during its movement to its final, substantially horizontally disposed raised or open position which is attained when the trunnions I4 reach substantially a horizontal plane passing through the cross pins II. The weight of the door is substantially balanced above and below the trunnions I 4 and this, together with the friction between the various moving parts of the door structure, causes the door to remain in practically any position in which it may be placed. Closing of the door is effected by a force exerted downwardly thereon in any suitable manner and obviously involves simply a reversal of the opening operations recounted. In other words, as the door moves downwardly its bottom and top portions swing downwardly and inwardly and upwardly and outwardly, respectively, until the rollers I3 reenter the slots Ill. The door then becomes locked against any swinging movement except as may be permitted by slight inclination of the upper portions of the slots III are parallel or slightly inclined relative to the door.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in th art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A closure construction for doorways comprising a door, fixed vertical track means, means carried by the door and cooperating with said track means to guide the door for vertical movement and to permit swinging movement of the door between vertical and horizontal positions a hanger element pivoted at its upper end for inward and outward swinging movement relative to the doorway, upper and lower lost motion connections between said hanger element and the door spaced downwardly from the top of the door and cooperating with each other and with said door guiding means to hold the door against swinging movement in its lowermost closed position and in partly raised positions thereof, and means whereby a predetermined amount of raising movement of the door from its lowermost or closed position releases one of said lost motion connections, thereby to permit swinging movement of the door from a substantially vertical to a substantially horizontal position under the control of said hanger element and its other lost motion connection with the door.

2. A closure construction for doorways comprising a door, fixed vertical track means, means carried by the door and cooperatingwith said track means to guide the door for vertical movement and to permit swinging movement of the door between vertical and horizontal positions, a hanger element pivoted at its upper end for inward and outward swinging movement relative to the doorway, a plate carried by the door and disposed perpendicularly relative thereto, said plate having upper and lower vertically elongated slots, upper and lower members carried by said hanger element and disposed in said slots, respectively, when the door is in its lowermost closed position and when the door is partly raised from its lowermost closed position, thereby, in cooperation with said door guiding means, holding the door against swinging movement when same is in its lowermost closed position and in partly raised positions, the lowermost of said slots opening through the bottom of said plate whereby, upon a predetermined amount of raising of the door from its lowermost closed position, the lower of said members leaves the lowermost slot and becomes disposed below said plate, thus permitting swinging movement of the door from a substantially, vertically disposed position to a substantially horizontally disposed position under the control of said hanger element and the upper member and upper slot connection thereof with the door.

3. A closure construction for doorways as set forth in claim 2 in which the lower portion of the lower slot is inclined relative to the upper portion of said slot to cooperate with the related hanger element carried member to initiate swinging movement of the door from a substantially vertically disposed position to a substantially horizontally disposed position responsive to raising movement of the door from its lowermost closed position.

4. A closure construction for doorways as set forth in claim 2 in which the free edge of the door carried plate is concentric with the center of the upper hanger element carried member when said member is disposed in the bottom of the upper slot in said plate and is spaced from said center corresponding substantially to the spacing of the periphery of the lower hanger element carried member from said center so that the lower hanger element carried member rides along said free edge of said plate during swinging of the door between substantially vertically and substantially horizontally disposed positions.

5. A closure'construction for doorways as set forth in claim 2 in which the upper portion of the lower slot is slightly inclined relative to the general plane of the door to cause the door to partake of slight swinging movement from its vertically disposed lowermost position toward a horizontal position responsive to initial raisin movement of the door from its lowermost closed position.

DAVID H. MORGAN. 

